UN Arms trade treaty

http://www.un.org/disarmament/ATT/docs/ATT_info_kit.pdf

SIGNATURE AND RATIFICATION
excerpt:
2. Consent to be bound (ratification,
acceptance, approval, an
d accession)
To become party to the Arms Trade Treaty a State must
formally declare its consent to be bound by the Treaty. This involves
two steps: action by the concerned State at national level, and the
notification to the depositary of consent to be bound.
A.
Action by the national government
At the national level, a State must agree to adhere to the
Treaty in accordance with domestic procedures for becoming party
to treaties. This usually requires discussion within the country and
action by its parliament and/or its executive.